You will need to modify some of these depending on the size of your family. Also, if you have children, it is recommended that oyu have games, books, coloring books, and other items to keep them entertained.

I assume ice packs refer to the chemical dry ice packs which are stored and broken open when needed.

All these items should fit into the 5 gallon bucket.

This list does not include food. You will need to consider food for your family to eat. Canned foods that can be cooked on the camp stove, plus things like granola bars, and other non-parrishable items. Also, prepackaged MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) are available from Long Life Foods are available for $4-$5 each. I’ve been told to avoid the spaghetti though.

It will cost you about $150 – $200 to put one together. You can also find them pre-assembled on the web. The idea is to have all of this together so you can grab-and-go if something happens. Let me know if yall have any questions about it.

Tonight was another night of get-aquainted with CERT and emergency response.

We started off with an exercise designed to practice what we had learned in the last class about the Incident Command System. An Indicent Commander was appointed by the trainer. The IC had to appoint an Operations Chief, Planning Section, and Logistics section. Our task was to build a freestanding tower that was at least five feet tall. Logistics was told to find 2 pieces of cardboard, 40 sheets of construction paper, Scotch tape, and scissors.

One of the women in the class and I were the Planning Section. We had to tell the Operations Chief how we thought they should accomplish the task. We suggested using a piece of cardboard as a base, rolling the construction paper into cylendars, and taping the cylendars together to get the requisit height.

It worked with only one minor modification to our plan. The two pieces of cardboard were used as braces on the sides of the tower instead of on the top or the bottom.

Our instructor said it was the first time he’d ever seen a design like that. He said most teams put four cylendars on the bottom and built it up more like a building. I told him any time I get involved with planning it will be functional, but it will look wierd. I should have gotten a picture.

After that, we learned about disaster preparedness. We discussed recent disasters, and how they affected the community. We learned about what you should put in a disaster kit (72 hour survival kit for your family). We also learned what to do to shelter in place, or evacuate. Good stuff.

Tonight was the first night of my Community Emergency Response Team training class. We’re learning things like basic fire supression, light search and rescue, first aid, triage, damage assessment, and other disaster response skills.

CERT is a program which was started in Japan to teach citizens how to prepare for, and assist their communities after, a major disaster hits. CERT teams can assist in the initial stages of a disaster, freeing trapped victims, providing basic medical support, and letting professional responders know where and what type of help is most needed in their area.

CERT members undergo 24 hours of training in the areas I mentioned above which culminates in a final disaster simulation where everything gets put to the test. I will be attending classes twice a week for the next month to get this training. I’m excited about it. Our Emergency Management Director suggested some of our communications people cross-train with CERT in the event that we need to provide comms for them. Our RACES director and myself are doing just that. Plus I figured since I passed the written test for CERT certification a while ago I should probably get the practical skills training too.

We were issued our “Go kits” tonight too. These are backpacks with quick response gear like first aid supplies, helmet, goggles, gloves, flash light, mask, and other stuff. Tigress says I looked like a geek when I was trying out the stuff. I’m just glad the digital camera is messed up or she might have posted a pic of it.

***

In other news it appears as if someone is quitting at Dispatch. I’m going to be watching out for the position to get posted and we’ll see. I’m also going to e-mail the 911 Director and see about doing a sit-along for a shift or two. It was suggested to me by someone “in the know” that it could help me sell myself to the dispatchers as a serious candidate.

I just need to figure out how to tell my business partner that I’m looking for other opportunities. He’s in a position at the county who’s assistance I will need if I get the job. I don’t want to stop doing the business necessarily, but ever since December I feel like God is pulling me towards this new carreer. I’m just not sure how to tell a friend, and business partner, that I’m seeking other options particularly when I will need his help if I get the new job to install screen access software.

I know that if it is God’s will that it will work out. I just hate the anticipation and uncertanty of not knowing what’s next and where I’m to go from here.

This weekend my dad came down from Wisconsin. So far we’ve fixed the gutters on the house, put the grill together, and stocked up on groceries for the week. I’m glad he came. It’s good to see him.

Tonight we went to church and then out to eat with some friends. Who, of course, since my dad was there decided it would be make fun of Tony for all the dumb crap he’s said/done in the past year. ?? It’s all good though.

Tonight the three of us played Scrabble. I lost, as usual, and Tigress killed us both with 208 points. Go Tigress!

Tomorrow Dad and I are making breakfast and doing some more work around the house. He’s here until Monday. It’s been great to spend more time with him lately.

Yall. Seriously. If you use Outlook for your e-mail *DO NOT LET YOUR DATA FILE GET TO 2 GB*!!!! Bad. Things. Will. Happen.

I’ve got a customer who has a ton, hey I figure if 2,000 pounds is a ton 2,000 megabytes must be too, of e-mail. We’re trying to merge 2 e-mail files into one so everything goes to the server. I go to import the big file, not relizing it was so large, into the other one and Outlook screams at me that it’s currupt. So, not having portable hard drive with me, I copy the file to the customer’s server, come home and start the transfer to my machine. Yall, the file times out at 99%. Ninty-Nine flaming percent. My wrist is still sore from pounding it on the desk in frustration. I rerun the download today and get it tonight. Finally.

The way to fix this problem, believe it or not, is to break the file and then fix it. You get a hex editor, open the file, and change some random bits in the middle to 0s. Then, you run the PST repair program that ships with Outlook and it is supposed to fix everything. Proof still remains to be seen.

!!!IMPORTANT TIP!!!! If you use Outlook. Firstly, do not save file attachments in your e-mail. If you have attachments you want to save, save them to your hard drive. This will save you much headache later.

Secondly. If you, like me, hord tons of e-mail, for say your future memoirs, backup each year’s messages to it’s own archive file. I can make a separate post if anyone’s interested.

Anyone know how I can harvest the IP of a machine connected to a SSH server? I want to the server to start the download since download is faster than upload, but I’ve got clients with changing IP’s. So, can I harvest the remote address from netstat? Am I asking the impossible?

==End Techno Babble==

Update: Yeah, can’t do it. Found out the bandwidth is used the same no matter what. Oh well. All good.

I have been thinking lately about jobs because I am getting extremely frustarated with my current job. Actually it’s gotten past the point of frustration and gone to insanity. I think it’s time to move on. Tiger and I have been talking a lot about changing jobs. Then, last evening when I was preparing for my lesson for Children’s Church it was talking about “working hard.” Then, I went on SAS’s blog and found the personality test that I hadn’t taken yet. I found it very interesting. Below is what I discovered. I guess I’m in the right job for now. Unless I decide to go to my second result and become a chef. I’m sure Tiger would like that because he could stop making T.V. dinners all of the time.

Your #1 Match: ESFJ

The Caregiver

You are sympathetic and caring, putting friends and family first.
A creature of habit, you prefer routines and have trouble with change.
You love being in groups – whether you’re helping people or working on a project.
You are good at listening, laughing, and bringing out the best in people.

You would make a great nurse, social worker, or teacher.

Your #2 Match: ISFJ

The Nurturer

You have a strong need to belong, and you very loyal.
A good listener, you excell at helping others in practical ways.
In your spare time, you enjoy engaging your senses through art, cooking, and music.
You find it easy to be devoted to one person, who you do special things for.

You would make a good interior designer, chef, or child psychologist.

Your #3 Match: ENFJ

The Giver

You strive to maintain harmony in relationships, and usually succeed.
Articulate and enthusiastic, you are good at making personal connections.
Sometimes you idealize relationships too much – and end up being let down.
You find the most energy and comfort in social situations … where you shine.

You would make a good writer, human resources director, or psychologist.